Andy Burnham has suggested he might ban goods from Israeli settlements when he takes office.
Speaking to the Guardian, the prime minister-in-waiting also apologised for Labour’s initial response to the Gaza war, saying his party “didn’t get it right” and needs to “do better” under his leadership.
“I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza my party didn’t get it right and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better.
“We’ve got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government … Yes, we have taken some important steps … But let’s be honest, the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach,” he said.
Labour’s initial response to the treatment of Gaza caused huge hurt. We got it wrong and I am sorry for that. pic.twitter.com/MtQxhp71J3
— Andy Burnham (@andyburnham) July 9, 2026
Burnham acknowledged the government had already formally recognised a Palestinian state and announced sanctions on Israeli ministers and some settler leaders, and restrictions on arms licences.
He added: “There is no contradiction between a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism and holding the Netanyahu government to account. I will always take a fair and balanced approach and stand up for what is right.”
He described the suffering of the people of Gaza as a “scar on our collective conscience” and claimed far too little aid was getting in.
He said that while there was “increasing evidence” of war crimes, it was for the international courts to decide whether a genocide had taken place.
Referring to the issue of settler violence and the growth of West Bank settlements, he said Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was attempting to make a two-state solution impossible.
“That’s why we need to do more, which includes looking at further sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements,” he said.
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